Treatment of materials containing tantalum and niobium



85 such 'as Ni, Co, Fe.

Patented it 12, rate TREATMENT on ivm'raaiaas coNTama TANTALUM area 1 Joseph Pierre Leemans, Hoboken, near Antwerp, Belgium, assignmto Socit Gnrale Metal lurgique dc Hobokem-Hoboken, near Antwr Belgium, a limited company of lgi No Dra. Application January 27,19

. rial No. 187,25. n

aciaims.

This invention relates to an improved process for the recovery of tantalum and/or niobium from their ores, or from metallurgical by-products such as those in which the said elements 5 may be found in the form of oxide compounds free or combined.

This invention has for its object the recovery by an economical process of tantalum and/or niobium in the form of metals or of alloys.

According to the invention, the primary material is subjected to a selective reduction in the presence of one or several of the following reducing elements: Ca, Al, Si, Mg, alloyed or combined with one or more metals as character- 16 ized below, so as to obtain a product (alloy for instance) in which the ratio NbzTa is higher than that of the primary material.

The metals which are added to the reducing agents are such metals whose alloying or com- 20 bination reaction with the aforesaid reducing agents develops heat so that the metallo-thermic power of a given quantity of these reducing elements is smaller in the obtained alloy or combination than in the same quantity in the elemen- 25 tary state. Among these metals, nickel, cobalt,

' iron, are more particularly contemplated.

For carrying this feature of the invention into efiect, the primary material containing tantalum and niobium may be subjected inside a suitable an metallurgical apparatus, such as arr-electric furnace, to a selective reduction in the presence of one or more oi the elements Si, Ca, Al, Mg, the thermic capacity of which has been diminished by alloying or combining them to other metals The amount of reducing agent may be so calculated that the major part of the Nb contained in the primary material'is reduced and passes into an alloy in which the ratio Nb:Ta is higher than that of the primary 0 material. The other component elements of the Great Brit 5.:

alloy are the metal or metals used for lowering the thermic capacity of the reducing agent.

By the process according to the pretent invention, an alloy is obtained in which the ratio Nb'z'Ia is higher than that of the primary material, and also a slag is obtained in which the ratio NbzTa is higher than that of the primary material. Theslag may be treated by any suitable known process with a view to recovering the tantalum and niobium.

I claim:

1. A process for the treatment of primary materials containing tantalum and niobium, com prising a reduction of the primary material by means-of at least one of the metals Al, Ca, Mg alloyed with at least one of metals whose alloying reaction with the aforesaid reducing elements develops heat so that the metallic-thermic power of a given quantity of the said reducing elements is smaller in the obtained alloy than in the same quantity in the elementary state, thereby selectively reducing the niobium relatively to thetantalum and obtaining an alloy in which the ratio v niobium:tantalum is higher than in the primary material, and a slag in which the ratio tantai 

